Correspondence in The Times has recently elucidated the difference between a practicing & a qualified solicitor: the latter has passed all the necessary exams but is not a practicing member of the profession. A practicing solicitor however must be qualified.
The first surprise I got from all this is that even the OED, contrary to the rule which we were taught in school – practise for the verb, practice for the noun – accepts that practice is now the generally accepted standard spelling for both.
It also set me wondering about religion & the old joke that Catholics are always practicing because, rather like St Augustine, they do not want to be perfect just yet.
You can be a practicing Anglican, but can you be a non-practicing Methodist? Can you be a practicing Jew, Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist. But can any practitioner of any religion be qualified as such?
The first surprise I got from all this is that even the OED, contrary to the rule which we were taught in school – practise for the verb, practice for the noun – accepts that practice is now the generally accepted standard spelling for both.
It also set me wondering about religion & the old joke that Catholics are always practicing because, rather like St Augustine, they do not want to be perfect just yet.
You can be a practicing Anglican, but can you be a non-practicing Methodist? Can you be a practicing Jew, Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist. But can any practitioner of any religion be qualified as such?
Related post
